The God Who Is There
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Joshua 1:3–5
When we read of the way God has worked in the lives of men and women of faith in the Bible and in history, we often focus on the characteristics of their lives that enabled them to do great things for God. But while that is not a bad thing to do, we should never allow our primary focus to remain on people. Our vision should be fixed on God instead. When Moses died, the Israelites needed a new leader, but they did not need a new God. They needed Joshua to live and lead with a sense of God’s presence.
It is the same for us. Although we believe and teach that God never changes, we do not always live as if He is active and involved in our lives. Too often we settle for what we can accomplish on our own rather than seeking the presence and power of God as a reality in our lives. The Christian life was never meant to be lived apart from God’s provision, and indeed it cannot be. The God who sees and judges the heart knows whether or not we are close to Him, even if others may be deceived. The reality is that life is more than we can manage. But we are not alone. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Joshua 1:3–5
When we read of the way God has worked in the lives of men and women of faith in the Bible and in history, we often focus on the characteristics of their lives that enabled them to do great things for God. But while that is not a bad thing to do, we should never allow our primary focus to remain on people. Our vision should be fixed on God instead. When Moses died, the Israelites needed a new leader, but they did not need a new God. They needed Joshua to live and lead with a sense of God’s presence.
It is the same for us. Although we believe and teach that God never changes, we do not always live as if He is active and involved in our lives. Too often we settle for what we can accomplish on our own rather than seeking the presence and power of God as a reality in our lives. The Christian life was never meant to be lived apart from God’s provision, and indeed it cannot be. The God who sees and judges the heart knows whether or not we are close to Him, even if others may be deceived. The reality is that life is more than we can manage. But we are not alone. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Today’s Growth Principle:
Unless we learn to rely on God, we will never accomplish His purpose and will for our lives.
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